The Marine Corps has been saying for years that it needs more tech-savvy geeks to fight in cyberspace. Now, it appears the Corps is returning to its trigger-pulling roots with a focused effort to retain grunts who are willing to assume more responsibility.

For decades, troops have been complaining about the limitations of the M16 rifle and M4 carbine, both of which are hindered by the same flawed operating system that makes the weapons jam easily. But after years of ignoring small arms in favor of expensive aircraft and warships, the Pentagon is taking a long, hard look at how to give the Army 11 Bang Bangs and Marine grunts a better weapon.